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It has been 60 days since Deron Stender became superintendent of Creston Community School District. In the past two months, Stender has been learning as much as his students this school year as he learns the ins and outs of his position, the new community he serves, and the needs of the families within his district.
“I still continue to do a lot of listening sessions,” said Stender.
During the CCSD regular board meeting Monday evening, Stender told the board he had a great experience at a coffee meeting he hosted at McDonald’s in Creston, where approximately 20 people gathered to meet the new superintendent.
“I didn’t call in advance but they saw it on Twitter or on Facebook ... they greeted me when I got there, they brought their regional rep in and they had stuff they were handing out on behalf of that day,” said Stender. “They were very, very polite about that ... first time in my career ... a business emailed me afterwards and thanked me.”
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ECC playground
Early Childhood Center playground is getting close.
“We do have a very beautiful playground. One of the things we are working on is how are we going to address it outside of the hours of the school day, making sure its not abused ...,” said Stender.
Stender said the playground is “age appropriate” and not built for middle school aged children. The district has been discussing how to address activity that has occurred at the playground after school hours.
“Garbage ... we’re going to purchase some more garbage cans that are going to be placed there,” said Stender. “The work is not done, but I guess my message to the community is, you’re welcome to use our playground, we want you to use our playground, it’s a public playground. We are very proud of that. We also want people to be responsible and respectful – things we teach our kids: be responsible for this place, be responsible for each other, be responsible yourself.”
Stender said that message isn’t just for the children enrolled in the Creston Community School District, but for the community at large.
“Take responsibility, if you see somebody that’s abusing our equipment or our property ... don’t just turn away and think it’s somebody else’s job to take care of that,” said Stender. “If you are there, you can address it.”
While Stender said it’s appropriate for anyone to address misuse or foul language on the ECC playground, he also suggests individuals to “be sensible” and call the Creston Police Department, if necessary.
Galen Zumbach, CCSD board member, suggested the use of cameras to monitor the playground.
“Cameras are everywhere. They don’t bother me and if you’re doing the right thing, it shouldn’t bother parents,” he said.
Stender said the new ECC playground is monitored by electronic surveillance, however, signage with a list of the playground rules and how to report use will be added in the near future.
Voter-approved PPEL
This November, the Creston Community School District will be seeking a voter-approved PPEL, which asks voters to consider a continuation of a current levy, which will neither reduce nor contribute the increase on future property taxes in the next year.
Stender said he was concerned that the PPEL item will fall in the 13th place on the ballot, behind other items from the city and county (examples: McKinley Park Aquatic Center, McKinley Lake dredging project and Gibson Memorial Library expansion), which will increase taxes. The existing PPEL provides necessary funds to maintain school buildings, complete site improvements and purchase school equipment. It is an annual property tax, and not to be confused as a bond issue.
More CCSD school board news will appear in the Creston News Advertiser this week.